Lots of animosity between AJ and his teammates last year- I've heard from a number of people inside the WSox that that was one of the key drivers to not re-signing him.

I recall several on field "disagreements" between AJ & Peavy, Konerko, etc.. I think it's very telling that AJ could even think that the WSox would throw at him- unless it's all bluster/showmanship. He sure wasn't moving away from the pitch when he got hit.

The interaction between him and PK was interesting- looked like Paulie was laughing, then talking with his glove covering his face.

I haven't seen the game yet... watching it tonight. The more games he plays the better Gillespie looks like a keeper to me.

AJ? He's an idiot. A very smart idiot and the kind of idiot you love when he's on your team. I wish more guys played like AJ, but when he's on someone else's team he's just an idiot..... in the nicest possible sense.

In other non-AJ news, Conor Gillaspie is good at baseball. .323 avg and an OPS of .913. He has a great swing and a great approach up there and his defense has been better than advertised. Also, if he maintains this pace, he will finish with 18HRs. It looks like Gillaspie was just a really good prospect that had his path to the majors blocked by Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Belt.

Yeah, I agree, and I think this is going to be the path the Sox have to take in the near future to turn this ship somewhat around. Obviously they're bad at developing their own prospects, but they have a knack for identifying guys who have busted out but need a change of scenery. Those are the kinds of guys that can usually be had for a bullpen arm or two (about the only thing we can develop in house).

Gillaspie just looks good at the plate. I didn't watch last night's game, but that double he ripped off Darvish in the 1st inning was just good, solid hitting.

Yeah, I agree, and I think this is going to be the path the Sox have to take in the near future to turn this ship somewhat around. Obviously they're bad at developing their own prospects, but they have a knack for identifying guys who have busted out but need a change of scenery. Those are the kinds of guys that can usually be had for a bullpen arm or two (about the only thing we can develop in house).

Gillaspie just looks good at the plate. I didn't watch last night's game, but that double he ripped off Darvish in the 1st inning was just good, solid hitting.

At 25 years old, hopefully he is the answer to 3B for several years.

Gillaspie is already past the Kevin Bell, Chris Snopeck over-hyped level.
It seems the Hawk is being cautious about hyping him. He doesn't even have a nickname yet!

After watching the video a few times I have changed my opinion and believe AJ moved is arm in on an inside pitch to get on base. If you watch Reed's reaction it looks like he was ticked that it hit him - not blatantly obvious but a wave of the glove...

I don't know if it was intentional or not, but hilarious to watch AJ be classic AJ about it. I can see why everyone hates his ****ing guts.

Walk to first like a man, crybaby.

What I find "disappointing" is how quickly Sox fans turn on a former favorite, especially when it is done to support a Sox team that in no way deserves our support. I know, it's the laundry, but they have messed that up too.

AJ found a home in Chicago, contributed quite a lot to the team and the city, and wanted to retire with the Sox. Instead he gets a crappy one-year contract with no future so the Sox could give his spot to someone who had never shown any indication he could fill it and clearly can't. Go AJ!

What I find "disappointing" is how quickly Sox fans turn on a former favorite, especially when it is done to support a Sox team that in no way deserves our support. I know, it's the laundry, but they have messed that up too.

AJ found a home in Chicago, contributed quite a lot to the team and the city, and wanted to retire with the Sox. Instead he gets a crappy one-year contract with no future so the Sox could give his spot to someone who had never shown any indication he could fill it and clearly can't. Go AJ!

Oh, give me a break. I don't need the Sox to have to "earn" or "deserve" my devotion. I'm a White Sox fan, as I have for years and always will be. Just because I understand the Sox's business decision (because, this is a business, sorry the reserve clause isn't coming back) to not offer a contract to a 36-year-old catcher coming off a career year while in the middle of a significant roster turnover. After almost a decade of forgetting why I hated him in the first place, I found it funny he needed only about 10 seconds to remind us all... Throw your arm out in a pitch and throw your bat and whine all the way down to first base? It's all for entertainment, anyways.

I'll still give AJ an applause when the Rangers come to town. I'll cheer for him when he comes back to the park one day to throw out a first pitch. But he's simply on another team now, so the Sox take priority.

The only guy I still haven't forgiven is Ozzie. **** that piece of ****.

What I find "disappointing" is how quickly Sox fans turn on a former favorite, especially when it is done to support a Sox team that in no way deserves our support. I know, it's the laundry, but they have messed that up too.

AJ found a home in Chicago, contributed quite a lot to the team and the city, and wanted to retire with the Sox. Instead he gets a crappy one-year contract with no future so the Sox could give his spot to someone who had never shown any indication he could fill it and clearly can't. Go AJ!

It's this simple: AJ plays for another team, one that was trying to beat the Sox last night, which means he was trying to beat the Sox. In case I wasn't emphatic enough before, for that reason AJ can kiss my ass for now. He is welcome back as a favorite son... once he stops trying to beat the Sox. Until then, he can look here for support: www.rangerfans.com.

__________________"I have the ultimate respect for White Sox fans. They were as miserable as the Cubs and Red Sox fans ever were but always had the good decency to keep it to themselves. And when they finally won the World Series, they celebrated without annoying every other fan in the country." Jim Caple, ESPN (January 12, 2011)

"We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the (bleeding) obvious is the first duty of intelligent men." — George Orwell

What I find "disappointing" is how quickly Sox fans turn on a former favorite, especially when it is done to support a Sox team that in no way deserves our support.

I have supported many Sox teams over 35 years that do not deserve my support.

I have and will never root for an opposing player against the Sox solely because he was a beloved Sox player.

I do not agree with the "screw AJ" crowd here, but I also don't agree with your viewpoint on this. Middle ground is the best here. AJ can be both wrong and beloved.

And re: AJ, don't sound like a Facebook commenter. His services were not exactly in demand, the Sox knew they had a clunker of a team, and they decided to go the younger, cheap route. OK, so Flowers will prove they need another answer at catcher. Glad they did it this year rather than next.

__________________
Ridiculousness across all sports:

(1) "You have no valid opinion because you never played the game."
(2) "Stats are irrelevant. This guy just doesn't know how to win."

I haven't seen the game yet... watching it tonight. The more games he plays the better Gillespie looks like a keeper to me.

AJ? He's an idiot. A very smart idiot and the kind of idiot you love when he's on your team. I wish more guys played like AJ, but when he's on someone else's team he's just an idiot..... in the nicest possible sense.

Ozzie: "If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less."

I'll be there for the 1st game against Texas in August, sporting my AJ jersey. I'm not one for the "he's trying to beat us now, so screw him" stance... he was a huge part of what was maybe the greatest season we'll ever see - so I'll give him a "welcome home" standing O his first at bat.

1) AJ. Don Cooper once said: Whenever one of my pitchers is no longer on the team, I view him the same way I view my ex-wife. Thanks for the memories, but its time to move on.
2) They use to call Herbert Perry " The Milkman". Why not call Conor Gillaspie, "The Weatherman". He has said he wants to be a Meteorogist sometime in the future after his baseball career is over.

1) AJ. Don Cooper once said: Whenever one of my pitchers is no longer on the team, I view him the same way I view my ex-wife. Thanks for the memories, but its time to move on.
2) They use to call Herbert Perry " The Milkman". Why not call Conor Gillaspie, "The Weatherman". He has said he wants to be a Meteorogist sometime in the future after his baseball career is over.

For some bizarre reason I really was not thinking about the White Sox when I saw this post, and somehow thought this was supposed to be a Mad Men reference. Weird.